Chapter Six: Allies
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"Looks like it's going to be one of those days." Danny commented to himself as he walked up the walkway to the front door of his house. It was only noon, and Danny felt exhausted, due to either his medication, a lack of sleep, or the sheer stress of the Ed situation. As he reached around in his pocket for his keys, the door in front of him opened. To Danny's puzzlement, Nessa Holt stood on the other side, waiting for him.
"Mary let me in before she left for work." Nessa commented before smiling at him. "I think she's set on staying with you for a few days." She looked quizzically at Danny. "Find out anything at the station?"
"No." Danny shook his head as he walked inside. "The guy wouldn't talk." He looked at Nessa. "So, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk to you actually." Nessa replied, "However, it can probably wait until you've had some food and a good nap." She looked sympathetically at Danny. "You look like you could use both."
"Food sounds good." Danny replied as he headed towards the kitchen. To his surprise, he found a hamburger and fries already waiting for him on the kitchen table. Nessa smiled as she clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Mary left that for you." she explained, "I'm supposed to make you eat it, even if I have to cram it down your throat." She paused. "At least I think that those were Mary and Sam's exact words."
"Sam's been here?" the surprised Danny asked as Nessa pushed him into a seat. He wondered when his house had turned into the new hangout spot.
"Well," Nessa explained, sitting down across from him. "We've all been worried about you, Danny, and we all feel bad that we weren't there for you."
"It would have been worse if you guys had been there." Danny replied, make a ketchup spiral on his plate with one of his fries. "Besides, there wasn't much anybody could do about it." He sighed, and dropped the fry. "Well, anybody except me anyway."
"Are you still on about that?" Nessa remarked, rolling her eyes. Danny looked at her, puzzled at what she meant. "Mary told me that you've been feeling sorry for yourself. Feeling as if there's something you could have done." She shook her head. "There was nothing more that you could have done though, Danny. You fought back as hard as you could, and you had no way of knowing what those guys were going to do. Just let it go."
"I can't let it go." Danny replied, looking to the floor. "But I know what I can do to make it up to Ed."
"What?" Nessa inquired.
"I'm going to find out where he is." Danny answered, looking back at her. "And I'm going to get him back."
"I was hoping you'd say that." Nessa smiled, crossing her legs. "I had the same idea, and was looking for a partner."
"It's a dangerous mission, Ness." Danny replied, looking square into her eyes. "If you go, you may not come back."
"Ed Deline has been like a father to me." Nessa pointed out, "I owe it to him as much as you do to do this." She grinned slightly. "Besides, I doubt you have the specifics of how to obtain his location figured out anyway."
"You know how to find Ed?" Danny asked amazed.
"Yep." Nessa nodded, "Mike figured it out while we were out last night."
"Whoa!" Danny asked, putting a hand up. "You and Mike?"
"That's not important." Nessa smiled. She nodded at the untouched food on Danny's plate. "We'll meet up with him the minute you eat that and grab a quick nap."
"Deal." Danny replied, picking up his burger.
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"What's up, guys?" Mike asked as Nessa and Danny entered Ed's office an hour later.
"I told him about our plan." Nessa replied, nodding towards Danny.
"Yeah, I knew he was crazy enough to go along with it." Mike said, putting his hands on his hips. He looked at Danny. "You know that this is a suicide mission, right?"
"We've all got to go sometime, Mike." Danny replied with a smile. He looked at the computer in front of him. "So, Nessa said you knew how to get Ed's location?"
"Yep." Mike said as Sam entered the room. "Me and Ms. Marquez were just testing it out and it works like a charm." He looked at Danny. "You see, we make a call to Ed's cell-phone using this phone right here, and we trace the signal." He smiled. "Simple, yet brilliant."
"Yeah." Danny nodded, wondering why he hadn't thought of it before. He knew Ed had his cell-phone with him when he left, so there was a chance that he may have it now. "Can we…"
"Sure." Mike said, typing something into the computer. He tossed the handset to the phone at Danny. "Whenever you're ready."
To be continued...
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"Looks like it's going to be one of those days." Danny commented to himself as he walked up the walkway to the front door of his house. It was only noon, and Danny felt exhausted, due to either his medication, a lack of sleep, or the sheer stress of the Ed situation. As he reached around in his pocket for his keys, the door in front of him opened. To Danny's puzzlement, Nessa Holt stood on the other side, waiting for him.
"Mary let me in before she left for work." Nessa commented before smiling at him. "I think she's set on staying with you for a few days." She looked quizzically at Danny. "Find out anything at the station?"
"No." Danny shook his head as he walked inside. "The guy wouldn't talk." He looked at Nessa. "So, what are you doing here?"
"I wanted to talk to you actually." Nessa replied, "However, it can probably wait until you've had some food and a good nap." She looked sympathetically at Danny. "You look like you could use both."
"Food sounds good." Danny replied as he headed towards the kitchen. To his surprise, he found a hamburger and fries already waiting for him on the kitchen table. Nessa smiled as she clapped a hand on his shoulder.
"Mary left that for you." she explained, "I'm supposed to make you eat it, even if I have to cram it down your throat." She paused. "At least I think that those were Mary and Sam's exact words."
"Sam's been here?" the surprised Danny asked as Nessa pushed him into a seat. He wondered when his house had turned into the new hangout spot.
"Well," Nessa explained, sitting down across from him. "We've all been worried about you, Danny, and we all feel bad that we weren't there for you."
"It would have been worse if you guys had been there." Danny replied, make a ketchup spiral on his plate with one of his fries. "Besides, there wasn't much anybody could do about it." He sighed, and dropped the fry. "Well, anybody except me anyway."
"Are you still on about that?" Nessa remarked, rolling her eyes. Danny looked at her, puzzled at what she meant. "Mary told me that you've been feeling sorry for yourself. Feeling as if there's something you could have done." She shook her head. "There was nothing more that you could have done though, Danny. You fought back as hard as you could, and you had no way of knowing what those guys were going to do. Just let it go."
"I can't let it go." Danny replied, looking to the floor. "But I know what I can do to make it up to Ed."
"What?" Nessa inquired.
"I'm going to find out where he is." Danny answered, looking back at her. "And I'm going to get him back."
"I was hoping you'd say that." Nessa smiled, crossing her legs. "I had the same idea, and was looking for a partner."
"It's a dangerous mission, Ness." Danny replied, looking square into her eyes. "If you go, you may not come back."
"Ed Deline has been like a father to me." Nessa pointed out, "I owe it to him as much as you do to do this." She grinned slightly. "Besides, I doubt you have the specifics of how to obtain his location figured out anyway."
"You know how to find Ed?" Danny asked amazed.
"Yep." Nessa nodded, "Mike figured it out while we were out last night."
"Whoa!" Danny asked, putting a hand up. "You and Mike?"
"That's not important." Nessa smiled. She nodded at the untouched food on Danny's plate. "We'll meet up with him the minute you eat that and grab a quick nap."
"Deal." Danny replied, picking up his burger.
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"What's up, guys?" Mike asked as Nessa and Danny entered Ed's office an hour later.
"I told him about our plan." Nessa replied, nodding towards Danny.
"Yeah, I knew he was crazy enough to go along with it." Mike said, putting his hands on his hips. He looked at Danny. "You know that this is a suicide mission, right?"
"We've all got to go sometime, Mike." Danny replied with a smile. He looked at the computer in front of him. "So, Nessa said you knew how to get Ed's location?"
"Yep." Mike said as Sam entered the room. "Me and Ms. Marquez were just testing it out and it works like a charm." He looked at Danny. "You see, we make a call to Ed's cell-phone using this phone right here, and we trace the signal." He smiled. "Simple, yet brilliant."
"Yeah." Danny nodded, wondering why he hadn't thought of it before. He knew Ed had his cell-phone with him when he left, so there was a chance that he may have it now. "Can we…"
"Sure." Mike said, typing something into the computer. He tossed the handset to the phone at Danny. "Whenever you're ready."
To be continued...